Love is Blind
by Elphie Bubble
Summary: When a young girl goes blind while working in the Opera Populaire and discovers that she has a talent for singing, will a certain Opera Ghost take notice?
1. Blinding Truth

This is technically my third Phantom of the Opera fic, but it is the first that I have posted on this particular website. It is based on the movie and the musical.

**Disclaimer:** The canon characters of Phantom of the Opera do not belong to me. They belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gaston Leroux. (I sure wished I owned them, though.)

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Nathalie Leblanc pirouetted back to her room in the opera dormitories, humming to herself. She had only started dancing at the Opera Populaire a few weeks before, and she was enjoying herself immensely. The pay was not all that wonderful since she was only a new member of the ballet, but the opera house was providing her with a roof over her head and meals. She was perfectly content with that. Besides, she had always dreamed of dancing onstage. She knew that she was quite lucky to have acquired a position in the opera house at all with it being 1873 and she an orphan. Thinking of her parents dimmed her joyful mood and she stopped dancing around the room and sank onto her small cot, identical to the several other cots in the room. She was still coping with the loss of them. They had been on a carriage drive, and the weather conditions had grown perilous. The driver, not being able to see the path, had miscalculated and the coach had raced into the icy waters of the river. The bodies of her parents and the driver had been found a week later when they washed ashore. Having no remaining family living in France, Nathalie and her brother Nicholas had been abandoned to fend for themselves. In a city like Paris, this was no easy feat. They had gone to the Opera Populaire, hoping for work. The kindly Madame Giry had allowed Nathalie to dance in the opera house's productions, and Nicholas had managed to get a job working in the stables of the opera house. Now, although they rarely got to see each other, they were at least supporting themselves.

Their busy lives helped take their minds from their dead parents, but occasionally their thoughts strayed to them, like Nathalie's were doing now. As she remembered her mother's smiling, soft face and her father's contrasting strong one, she found herself crying. One of the others in the dorms, a girl named Sylvie, came over from her cot and put a kindly arm around Nathalie's shoulders.

"What is wrong, Nathalie? Is it your parents again?" she asked tenderly, handing Nathalie an embroidered handkerchief.

Nathalie nodded and accepted the handkerchief, "I just miss them so much."

"I know, but they wouldn't want for you to be miserable."

Nathalie gave her a small smile and wiped away the remaining tears from her face, "Thank you, Sylvie."

"You know that you are welcome," Sylvie said, patting Nathalie on the back one more time before going back to her cot to get ready for bed.

Nathalie felt grateful that she had met Sylvie. The two had become fast friends when Nathalie had first arrived. She was glad she had at least one person to talk to. The only other people in the opera house that she felt comfortable talking with were Madame Giry and her daughter, Meg. Madame Giry had always been very kind to Nathalie, and she had taught her a lot about dancing. Meg was a couple of years older than Nathalie, but they still got on quite well together.

Nathalie pushed her thoughts from her mind as Madame Giry came into the large room and ordered lights out. She helped blow out the candles and went to sleep.

The following morning, Nathalie woke with a groan to Madame Giry's stern voice.

"Get up, girls! Practice starts in half an hour!" she called into the room.

Nathalie groaned again and pulled herself from the bed. She got dressed and followed the other girls into the practice room. She took her place beside Sylvie, and they began their rigorous training for the upcoming play. The girls finally finished late that evening; Nathalie was exhausted. She fell asleep well before the lights out time, but she awoke in the middle of the night and found herself restless. She decided to walk around the opera house a bit. She knew she would have to be quiet; being found wandering around at night would mean trouble with Madame Giry. She got up very slowly and carefully from her bed, hardly daring to breathe in case it woke one of the other dancers from their slumber. She crept from the room, shutting the door gently so that it wouldn't creak. She glanced down the dark, imposing hallway and realized that she had forgotten to bring a candle. Well, it was too late now. Besides, she knew her way around the opera house's corridors pretty well by this point. She made her way farther out into the darkness and away from the comforting warmth of the dormitories. She reached out blindly to feel for the wall. She grazed her fingers against it and started to walk, keeping one hand on it to guide herself. Because of the darkness, Nathalie failed to notice that one of the many doors on the hallway had carelessly been left open so that it hung out in the hall. So, in a way that would have been almost comic if not for the excruciating pain, Nathalie slammed into the wayward door headfirst. She fell to the floor, stunned and gradually lost her grip on the reins of reality and consciousness.

She awoke to strong hands shaking her.

"Nathalie? Nathalie?" came the thick French accented voice of Madame Giry from somewhere above her.

She groaned and opened her eyes with some effort. She was met with an innate darkness. Her thoughts were the equivalent of quicksand, slow and unmoving. She finally was able to remember who and where she was.

"I'm so sorry, Madame Giry! I couldn't sleep. I promise it won't happen again. I'll just go back to the dorms and go to sleep, shall I?" she said in the direction that she thought Madame Giry was in.

"Sleep? In the middle of the afternoon when we need you in rehearsals? I'm going to let a doctor look at that bump between your eyes, and if it's not life-threatening you will come to the ballet practice room immediately."

Nathalie tried to take in this information. "Afternoon?" she asked.

"Yes. It is nearly three o' clock. How did you get out here anyway?"

"I couldn't sleep, and so I went for a walk. I hit my head on something...But Madame, how can it be three o' clock when it's so dark?"

"Dark? What are you talking about, Mademoiselle Leblanc? Can you not see all the sunlight streaming in through the windows?" asked Madame Giry in a tone that suggested that she disapproved of sunlight streaming anywhere.

Nathalie was thoroughly confused by this point. "Madame, it is so dark that I cannot see my hand in front of my face."

Madame Giry waved her hand in front of Nathalie's face and gasped when Nathalie's pupils didn't move or respond in any way. "Mademoiselle Leblanc, I think you may be blind! Come, we must get a doctor!"


	2. No More

Phantom's Beauty and gravityisagoodthing- I am so glad that you are enjoying it! I am also sorry that it took me so long to update, but the Document Manager doesn't work on my computer, so I have to use the school's. Well, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** The canon characters of Phantom of the Opera do not belong to me. They belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gaston Leroux. (I sure wished I owned them, though.)

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Shortly thereafter a doctor arrived and declared that she _was_ blind. He told her that she had hit an optic nerve when she bumped her head and that it had injured her sight. He said that he didn't believe the blindness to be permanent, but he informed her that it could be days, weeks, months, or even years before she regained her sight.

Nathalie sat, too shocked to speak. Maybe this was all a horrible dream, and she would wake up soon. But if not...She didn't want to think about what would happen. Her mind ignored her inhibitions and promptly thought about it anyway. She would not be able to be a ballerina anymore and would therefore stop making money. Nicholas wouldn't be able to support her, and she would end up on the streets, begging for food and selling herself. She shuddered at the very thought. She would die before she let it come to prostitution.

"Madame Giry?" she asked when the doctor had left the room.

"Yes, my dear?" Madame Giry replied, sympathy in her tone.

"What's going to happen to me?" she bit back a sob, "I obviously can't dance anymore."

"Darling!" Madame Giry's voice said. Nathalie could tell she was coming closer because her voice had grown louder, "Did you think that I would throw you out just because you are blind? Don't worry, we will find something for you to do."

Nathalie nodded, relief flooding her heart. "May I please go see my brother, Madame? He does not yet know what has occurred."

"Of course, Nathalie. But before you leave, let me ask you something. Can you sing?"

"Everyone but the mute can sing, Madame."

"Yes, yes, but can you sing _well_?" she asked impatiently.

Nathalie considered the question. She hadn't sung since her parents died. It reminded her too much of her mother singing to her when she was a child. But she had sung quite often before then, and people had told her that she had a pretty voice. "I suppose," she said.

"Okay, then. I was just curious," Madame Giry said slyly, "Let's go see your brother. I'll lead you, shall I?"

"Oui, s'il vous plait, Madame," Nathalie said, grateful for her help.

Madame Giry grasped her hand, and they walked very slowly to the stables. When Nicholas saw his sister and Madame Giry's expression, he came running, abandoning the horse he had been grooming. His sister rarely came to visit him, and never with Madame Giry. Something had to be wrong. He was fiercely protective of Nathalie, as she was all he had left in the world. He grabbed his sister frantically by the shoulders, and when her eyes did not meet his, instead staring blankly into the distance without blinking, his fears, far from being assuaged, were only multiplied.

"Is she blind?" he cried to Madame Giry, "Are you blind?" he said, redirecting the question to Nathalie before Madame Giry could answer.

Nathalie nodded, afraid of what he might do.

"How?" he asked, on the verge of hysteria.

"I was wandering around in the dark because I couldn't sleep, and I hit my head on a door," she said sheepishly, "The doctor says it isn't permanent though."

"Well, what are you going to do in the meantime?" he asked, still sounding shocked.

"I've decided to give Nathalie a chance to be in the chorus," Madame Giry broke in, "That is, if she would like to."

Nathalie agreed enthusiastically. It wasn't like she had any other choice anyway.

"Well, that seems to be in order then. We will have an audition for you in the morning. Just come to the stage at eight tomorrow morning. I must go now," said Madame Giry, "I trust that you will help your sister back to her dorms, Nicholas?"

He said that he would and Madame Giry left, satisfied that he would take care of her.

"My God, Nathalie," said Nicholas in a strained voice, "I can't believe you're blind."

"Neither can I," replied Nathalie, her unseeing eyes getting watery, "I suppose I'll just have to get used to it for the time being."

"Did the doctor tell you how long it would last?" asked Nicholas.

"He didn't know. All he seemed to be sure about was that it wasn't permanent."

Nicholas nodded, "Well, I'd better get you back up to your room. You need your rest."

He led her painfully slowly back up to the dorms. Luckily, they were deserted, though she really shouldn't have been surprised. Everyone was, after all, at rehearsals. Nicholas hugged her and helped her find her nightgown. Then he said goodbye and headed back to the stables.

Nathalie wished silently that her mother had also provided her with a sister while she tried unsuccessfully for several minutes to do up all the intricate buttons that went into even the most casual of nightgowns. A sister could be very helpful when dealing with buttons. When she finally finished getting dressed and managed to get into bed, she realized that this could very well be the last night she spent in the dorms. If her singing audition went well, she would be moving into the chorus girls' dorms. The thought made her bite her lip to keep a ragged sob from escaping. She didn't know any of the singers. As it was, she only had one true friend in the group of ballet girls. She wondered briefly if the singers were as backstabbing as the girls that danced. She fervently hoped not.

_Maybe this will be a change for the better_, she thought consolingly to herself, _Maybe it will be better than dancing. _She found that her unspoken hopes were hollow; she didn't believe them at all. She sighed deeply and tried to sleep. She almost cried when she realized that when she woke up, she would still be in total darkness, blind to the world around her. Somehow, she was able to forget about the pain throbbing in her head from the bump that she had acquired the night before and the thoughts of what she had lost. She escaped to the only place she was safe: her dreams.

"Is it true then?" came the whispered voices of the ballet girls, "Did she really go blind?"

Nathalie, waking up slowly, opened her eyes automatically, cringing when she stayed in darkness. Although the girls had been having a large discussion before, as soon as she sat up, they dispersed. She could not see them of course, but she imagined that they all kept stealing glances at her, like she was some kind of animal in the zoo. She got up unsteadily, wondering what time it was. She assumed that it was the following morning and decided to go ahead and get dressed. Besides, she doubted she could fall asleep again anyway. She struggled for fifteen fruitless minutes before Sylvie walked in, saw her pitiful attempts, and assisted her friend.

"So I guess you really are blind, then, aren't you?" she asked in an undertone.

"Yes," Nathalie replied glumly, "I guess gossip travels fast here."

"It does," Sylvie said simply. She seemed to be uncomfortable around Nathalie, like one often is around a friend who has recently lost someone very dear to them, "I heard that you are going to try out for music."

"Right again. Where do you hear all this?"

"Oh, you know, around," said Sylvie with the usual teenage girl's way of being vague, "So...Can you sing?"

Nathalie shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I haven't sung in a while."

"I bet that you'll be amazing. Well, you had better go or you'll be late. It's nearly eight."


	3. Audition

Thanks for all the lovely reviews guys! And I moved it to the book section. I'm sorry there is so much time between updates, but I am writing three other stories at the same time, and school is severely limiting all writing time. Well, here you go, chapter three!

**Disclaimer:** The canon characters of Phantom of the Opera do not belong to me. They belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gaston Leroux. (I sure wished I owned them, though.)

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Nathalie gasped, "I have to hurry!"

"Well, you aren't going to get to the stage anytime soon unless I lead you. Come on," Sylvie said.

Nathalie gripped her friend's arm and feeling rather stupid, allowed herself to be led from the room. Sylvie pushed her onto the stage at exactly eight o'clock.

"That was cutting it close, Mademoiselle Leblanc. Now, are you familiar with the play "Hannibal?"" asked Madame Giry from the back of the orchestra pit.

Nathalie nodded mutely.

"Do you know the song "Think of Me?""

Once again, Nathalie nodded.

"Good, you can just begin at the beginning of the song. Just sing the first two verses. That should be plenty for us to make our decision by," Madame Giry said with a nod to the piano player who started playing the tune of the song.

Nathalie's nervousness disappeared as soon as she opened her mouth to sing.

"Think of me, think of me fondly,

when we've said goodbye,

remember me once in a while,

please promise me you'll try.

We never said our love was evergreen,

or as unchanging as the sea,

but if you can still remember,

stop and think of me!" Nathalie finished.

If she could have seen the expressions of all the faces in the opera house, she would have felt quite a bit more confident. Their faces showed incredibility, in the good sense. They could not believe the beauty of what they had just heard come from the sixteen year-old's mouth and could not hide their surprise. Madame Giry was the first to recover.

"Well, Monsieur Reyer and I will have to discuss it still, but I'm fairly sure that you will get in. I will let you know later this evening. I'll let your friend guide you to the mess hall so that you can have your breakfast. I will also get someone to get you a cane," Madame Giry told her.

Sylvie, her mouth still wide open, helped her off the stage and then led her away.

"Why did you say we would need to discuss it?" Reyer asked Madame Giry in an audible whisper as soon as the girls were gone, "You know as well as I do that she probably the best singer that the Opera Populaire has ever seen. Better than Christine Daae, even."

"Yes, but we do not need her to get an inflated head," Madame Giry replied without even looking at him, "We already have Carlotta for heaven's sake," she added in an undertone.

"What was that, Madame?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing. And don't mention Mademoiselle Daae's name. I doubt it is good luck."

**PAGEBREAK**

Sylvie, instead of leading her friend to the dining hall, pulled her into a deserted practice room, "You were amazing! Why didn't you tell me that you could sing like that?"

"Like what? It wasn't that good," Nathalie said, a little surprised at her friend's reaction to her singing.

"Then you must be deaf as well as blind!" exclaimed Sylvie.

Nathalie discovered that even though she couldn't see, she was still able to cry.

"I'm sorry," Sylvie said sheepishly, "That was really mean. But you really are a magnificent singer. Probably the best I have ever heard. I just don't understand how you didn't realize the beauty of it."

"Well, I suppose that I just always felt that I couldn't ever be as good a singer as my mother," Nathalie said, drying her eyes.

"Well, if your mother sang more beautifully than you did just now, she must have sung more like an angel than any human on earth."

"She did," Nathalie said wistfully, remembering her mother.

Sylvie smiled, "Well, you're bound to get in. Now come on, let's eat!"

**PAGEBREAK**

Someone besides Madame Giry, Reyer, and Sylvie had heard Nathalie's audition. Not that anyone knew that he had been there. He had overheard Madame Giry telling someone that she would be holding an audition for a new chorus girl the former evening, and because he was interested to see this new girl, he decided to attend her audition. His mind was still reeling from the sounds he had heard coming from that girl's, that angel's mouth. She had talent beyond any he had heard before. He knew that Reyer had been right in saying that she was better than Christine. Just thinking the name evoked painful memories, and he cursed himself for letting her enter his thoughts again. She was gone. But this new girl, this Mademoiselle Nathalie Leblanc, she had some potential. He stalked over to his organ and began to play, happy, beautiful music for the first time in three years. He had a new inspiration to distract him from his life of darkness.


	4. Opportunities

Sorry for the long breaks between posts, but my computer just got over a keyboard problem yesterday that made it throw out large streams of random letters and symbols whenever I tried to type any of the letters or anything else on the right hand side of the keyboard. A simple "p," would become, "QERUIOWerquowiQER." This made writing any story very difficult. Especially how, whenever I typed an "l," my computer logged off. Luckily, the computer doctor fixed it and now I can write again! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** The canon characters of Phantom of the Opera do not belong to me. They belong to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Gaston Leroux. (I sure wished I owned them, though. Especially Erik, wink wink)

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"Well, Nathalie, we have decided to let you join the chorus," Madame Giry told her.

Nathalie grinned, finding it hard not to jump for joy.

"Your first practice will be tomorrow right after breakfast. Don't be late. Also, you will need to gather your belongings and move to the singers' dorms. There should be a few empty beds," Madame Giry said.

"Yes Madame," Nathalie said simply. She didn't want to leave Sylvie, but she knew that she had no choice.

"I got you a cane that you can use to help you find your way around," Madame Giry said, placing a sturdy cane into her hands.

"Merci, Madame," Nathalie said.

And Nathalie?"

"Yes?"

"Congratulations."

Madame Giry left, leaving Nathalie to get back to her dorms. Or rather, the dorms she used to live in. She made good work of the cane; she could tell that it would be a lot of help when she was somewhere she didn't recognize. When she reached the dancers' dorms, she slowly found her bed and began to gather her things up. It wasn't a particularly hard task, even though she was blind. She had very few possessions, just a locket of her mother's that she always wore, a picture of her parents, and a few outfits to wear when she wasn't in practice. She knew where everything was by heart, so she could find it all easily and quickly. A tear fell from her eye and landed on her hand, where she impatiently brushed it off. She shouldn't be sad; she should be glad that she was getting a new opportunity. Besides, she could always come and visit Sylvie. It wasn't like it was goodbye forever. Still, it hurt to leave the place she had finally adjusted to. With one last sigh, she bundled up her sparse belongings and went down the hall where the singers' dorms were. She had been in this room before, but she had no clue which cots were unoccupied. And if she just went around feeling of beds for personal touches, someone might think she was a thief. She heard a small noise, probably something she would have never been able to hear before, but her other senses had grown stronger since she had lost her sight.

"Is someone in here?" She inquired a little shakily.

"As a matter of fact, someone is," a female voice said from the back of the room.

"Who are you?" asked Nathalie a little uncertainly.

"I'm Genevieve. Who are you?"

Nathalie thought the girl had a friendly voice, "I'm Nathalie Leblanc."

"Wow! Really? I heard that you are the newest singer. They said that you were really good," Genevieve said enthusiastically.

Nathalie shrugged noncommittally.

"So, do you need some help?" asked Genevieve, for she had heard that the girl was blind as well as good.

"That would be wonderful!" Nathalie exclaimed, "Can you help me find an empty bed?"

"Of course! There is an open one next to mine."

Genevieve helped lead Nathalie over to the bed. Nathalie was glad that she had made a new friend so quickly. She liked Genevieve; she was vivacious and nice. Nathalie was always a little shy when it came to new people, and she never spoke first. That was why she didn't make friends too easily; people tended to think she was stuck up. She laid out her things with the help of Genevieve and flopped onto the bed, exhausted from the day's work.

"Are you going to sleep already?" Genevieve asked incredulously, "It's only six o'clock. Everyone else is at supper."

"When you're blind, you can't see what time it is outside. You just eat when your hungry and sleep when you're tired. And I'm pretty tired. Why aren't you at supper?"

"Well, I'm not very hungry...Well, that and the fact that I don't really have very many friends around here," Genevieve said, her voice sad.

Nathalie couldn't imagine such a bubbly girl not having friends and she told the girl so.

"Maybe not, but I'm not usually this bubbly. Usually I'm really shy around people and I don't make friends very easily. I guess I just feel like I can talk to you; you're different."

"I'm exactly the same way!" Nathalie proclaimed, "I'm not too great at making friends either. But it is easy to talk to you."

Genevieve grinned, and although Nathalie couldn't see it, she could hear it in the girl's voice, "We will be good friends. I know it."

Nathalie smiled back, "Yes, we will. Well, if you don't mind, I am going to go to bed. I am just so tired."

"Ok, then. I think that I'll go down to dinner for a change," Genevieve said.

PAGEBREAK

The man watched Nathalie sleep from behind one of his many one-way mirrors quietly. He noted the gentle rise and fall of her chest, her beautiful locks of brown, curly hair framing her pale, angled face, and her white hands clutching her own shoulders. Every now and again she twitched and a small frown was on her face. She was probably having a bad dream. He felt a little sad that her dreams, the only things she could still see, were bad. It didn't bother him that she was blind. Quite the contrary; he knew that a girl who couldn't see would only pay attention to his voice. His voice was his favorite thing about himself. He had no problems with the fact that she wouldn't be able to see his face. He watched her for a few more moments and then hurried back underground before he was tempted to sing to her.


	5. Making Enemies

Update! Hope you enjoy it. Keep up the reviewing! D 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the canon characters from POTO...but I could do with owning Erik. Hehe.

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Nathalie awoke the next morning feeling quite well-rested to the sound of many girls chattering. She knew that it had to be all the singers.

"Oh, you're awake. Good morning!" said Genevieve's voice from beside her.

"Good morning to you too. What time is it?" Nathalie asked.

"It's seven-thirty. We are all getting ready to go down to breakfast. I was going to wake you up if you didn't get up in five minutes."

"Oh. Well, I suppose I'd better get ready," Nathalie said, locating her corset in her bedside table's drawer. She dreaded trying to put it on by herself, but she knew she had to give it a try. She took off her nightgown and slipped on the corset. After a few minutes of fumbling with the many strings, she gave up. It was hard enough to do when she could still see.

"Genevieve?" she asked.

"Yes?" Genevieve replied.

"Can you help me tie my corset?"

"Oh, of course! I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about how hard that would be for you to do," Genevieve said, coming over to assist.

Nathalie drew in her breath when the stiff boning of the corset cut into her. She didn't care how fashionable they were, she just couldn't get used to them. She was able to get her dress on by herself, and then she and Genevieve made their way down to breakfast together.

Nathalie only picked at her food, too nervous about her first lesson to eat anything. Besides, food at the opera house was not that great anyway. When Genevieve had finished her porridge, she led Nathalie to the Voice Room. They took their seats, and their proffessor, a M. Flaubert, entered the room.

"Bonjour everyone! I believe that we have a new student with us today. Let us all welcome Mademoiselle Leblanc," he said kindly.

Nathalie knew that every eyes in the room had turned to her.

"Bonjour," the class chorused in monotone.

"Bonjour," Nathalie mumbled back.

"Ok, let's begin our class. Today we will be having auditions for the upcoming play, "Hannibal.""

Nathalie now understood why she had been told to sing a song from "Hannibal" for her audition.

"Now, everyone can't be Elissa, but there will be a part for everyone, even if only in the chorus. If you will all come up here and get your song lyrics, please. Just get one of the lyric sheets from whichever part you would like to audition for. I will give you a few minutes to become acquainted to the parts if you are not already," M. Flaubert told them.

All the students rose and approached his desk to grab their parts.

"What part do you want to try out for?" Genevieve asked her.

"I suppose I will try for Elissa," Nathalie said, thinking that she would have no chance to be Elissa, and would therefore end up in the chorus, which was precisely where she wanted to be. Unfortunately, there was no audition for the chorus directly, so she had to take this roundabout way.

"You're sure to get the part!" Genevieve said enthusiastically as she handed Nathalie the paper with the lyrics of "Think of Me."

Nathalie made no comment, but she heartily disagreed with Genevieve.

Ten minutes later, M. Flaubert was leading them to the stage. They lined up and one by one made their way onto the stage to sing their parts. Nathalie ended up in the back of the line, right behind Genevieve. Three other people from the class tried out for the part of Elissa, two girls named Gigi and Dominique and of course, the opera's diva, Carlotta. When Nathalie heard her sing, she knew that she had no chance whatsoever to get the part. It wasn't even that Carlotta had that great of a voice, and everyone hated her, but she was the diva and they always gave her the part she wanted.

Genevieve tried out for one of the minor parts and did a lovely job. Finally, it was Nathalie's turn.

PAGEBREAK

The man stood in box five, completely hidden by the shadows of the red velvet curtains. He watched as Nathalie took her place on the stage. She opened her mouth and sang the song even more beautifully than she had at her audition. He closed his eyes and let her voice carry him away. When she finished her song, he stood with bated breath, waiting to see Flaubert's reaction to her. He was fully prepared to write a letter to him if he decided to go with Carlotta. To his surprise, Flaubert stood and clapped loudly.

PAGEBREAK

"Well, the parts will be given out before dinner, but Mlle. Leblanc, you have the part of Elissa for sure. Magnificent job!" Flaubert said.

Nathalie and Carlotta's faces both reddened, but for different reasons. Nathalie was blushing from the compliment, and Carlotta was about to start yelling. She had never not gotten the part she wanted since that Daae wench had left the opera for good.

The class filed out for a small break, and Carlotta approached Flaubert.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked in her Italian accent, "Why did I not get the part of Elissa?"

"Because you were not the best for the part," M. Flaubert said coolly without flinching. His ability to stand up to the Prima Donna was an admirable one, "Go take your break."

Carlotta made a similar face to the one she had made three years before when she had made her famous co-ack during Il Muto. It was an expression of mixed fury and fear. She wasn't used at all to people standing up to her. At a loss for words for one of the first times of her life, she stomped away, throwing several glares back over her shoulder at Flaubert who ignored her poisoned glances.

Nathalie found herself in the middle of a crush of singers, all vying for her attention. Cries of 'well done,' 'nice job,' and 'great work,' flew about her head. But not everyone was happy with her success. Several people, like Carlotta, were sulking with ugly expressions on their faces. Luckily, Nathalie could not see them. It would only have made her sad to know that she had already made enemies in the class and she had only been in it for an hour or so.

PAGEBREAK

The man noted the expressions on those people's face who were pouting from his hiding spot behind a concealed door. He knew that they could be trouble to his little songbird. Well, he couldn't let anything bad happen to her. He just might have to take care of them for her. He couldn't lose his muse right after he had found it again.


	6. SORRY

I feel terrible saying this, but this story is going to be put on hold. But whether that will be permanently or just for a while, I have no idea. I just am not happy with this story and the way it is going. I'm ready to strangle Nathalie. Haha. If I do decide to continue writing this fic someday, I will post, but I'm not guaranteeing anything. I really do feel bad about just quitting, but as a writer, I have to know when to drop a story. Please forgive me!


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